Has it been a long time? It most certainly has. Almost 5 years (to the week) of the release of the classic "Wander This World" comes "Long Time Coming," Jonny Lang's return to the blues. Or is it?

This CD, although musically stunning, is certainly more rock influenced then any of his previous material. "Wander" showed hints of this rock transformation, with the pop-ballad "Breaking Me" and the rocker "Still Rainin'." "Long Time Coming" has more of these style tunes, and less (well, practially none) of the sounds you heard on his "Lie To Me" CD such as "Darker Side" and "A Quitter Never Wins." Why would this be? Maybe because 12 of the CD's 15 tracks were penned (at least in part, if not fully) by Lang himself.

The CD opens with "Give Me Up Again," which has to be Jonny's heaviest song to date. The smooth intro wails into a classic rock groove that rivals any song herad on Top 40 Alternative Radio. Up next is "Red Light," the CD's first single. This track, which musically feels like a sequal to "Breaking Me" is a slow to medium paced acoustic track that has all the perfect elements of a wonderfully crafted rock song. Again, you feel the classic rock shining through, which proves that there is certainlly more to Lang then just a 'young gun' as he was hailed when he broke onto the scene at 15 years old back in 1996. The CD's most 'bluesy' cut is "Touch," where an R&B vibe kicks top notch as Langs vocals are ever improving (and on this CD seem to be more forefront then his signature guitar sound).

I will be honest when I say that I do miss some of the blues-based songs that dominated "Lie To Me" and "Wander," but am I dissapointed in this effort? Not in the least. Some hardcore Lang fans, may approach the CD with confusion, but I look to the CD more as evolving. He's bringing his background (blues) into the music he obviously feels more adapt to write (rock). All in all a strong effort, and one that may (and most likely will) attract much more media attention with some of it's radio ready tunes. Hopefully the follow up to "Long Time" wont be in such a long time...

-- Brian Cohen ("Are You Blues" Founder)

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